Walden to retire

Greg Walden to retire in latest sign of GOP doubts about retaking House

The Oregon congressman is the 19th House Republican to announce his or her retirement this cycle.

By JOHN BRESNAHAN, MELANIE ZANONA and ALLY MUTNICK

Rep. Greg Walden, the top Republican on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, will retire at the end of this Congress — the latest sign that Republicans see a struggle to retake the House in 2020.

The 62-year-old Walden, who was first elected in 1998, said he was confident he'd win reelection but decided instead to end his congressional career in Jan. 2021.

"Based on recent polling, strong fundraising, and the backing of my wife and family, I am confident I could earn the support of 2nd District voters for another term. I’m also optimistic that a path exists for Republicans to recapture a majority in the House, and that I could return for two more years as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Walden said in a statement given to POLITICO. “But I also know that for me, the time has come to pursue new challenges and opportunities."

Walden added: “So, I will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives, nor election to any other office, but instead I will close the public service chapter of my life, thankful for the friends I’ve made and the successful work we’ve done together."

“I will close the public service chapter of my life, thankful for the friends I’ve made and the successful work we’ve done together.”

- Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.)

The Oregon congressman is the 19th House Republican to announce they are retiring at the end of this Congress, a sign of how difficult it will be for the GOP to win back the majority in what’s already shaping up as a tough 2020 election. Having President Donald Trump’s name at the top of the ticket will ensure turnout among his supporters, yet it’s also expected to bring Democrats out in huge numbers as well.

Walden — a former radio station owner with a booming voice — is well respected by colleagues from both sides of the aisle, who describe him as both a savvy politician and serious legislator who likes to dig into the nitty-gritty policy details.

Walden, a former chief of the House GOP’s campaign arm who earned a reputation for party loyalty over his past two decades in Congress, has been quietly picking and choosing his battles with Trump this year, fueling speculation he might be eyeing the exits.

The Oregon Republican rebuked the president over the hugely controversial border wall project, backed Russia sanctions over Trump's objection, voted with Democrats to end the historic 35-day government shutdown and has been vocal about addressing climate change. But Walden also has stood by Trump throughout the Ukraine scandal and fallen in line on other key issues.

Walden is the fourth House GOP committee leader to call it quits this cycle. That list includes Reps. Mike Conaway (Texas), ranking member on the Agriculture Committee; Rob Bishop (Utah), ranking member on the Natural Resources Committee; and Mac Thornberry (Texas), ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee.

While Walden could have continued as the top Republican on Energy and Commerce until the end of 2022, Conaway, Bishop and Thornberry were all facing term limits next year. Under House GOP rules, a lawmaker can only lead a committee for three terms, regardless of whether they are in the majority or minority. But House GOP leaders have been considering relaxing that policy amid growing fears it could fuel more retirements and create an institutional brain drain among Republicans.

Before wielding the Energy and Commerce gavel, Walden spent years chairing the panel’s telecommunications subcommittee that oversees the Federal Communications Commission. He helped advance major legislation in that position, including a 2012 law that created the public safety communications network known as FirstNet and other measures aimed at fighting illegal robocalls, expanding broadband and freeing up airwaves to be used in 5G wireless networks.

A Beaver State native who graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism, Walden first came to Washington in the early 1980s as a congressional aide. In 1988, he won a seat in the Oregon House of Representatives, and was then appointed to the Oregon Senate in 1995. After winning the 1998 congressional race, Walden won a seat on Energy and Commerce in 2001.

Walden won reelection in his sprawling, rural district in eastern and central Oregon by 17 points in 2018. That was a comfortable margin in a bad year for the GOP, but much smaller than his previous wins. Trump carried the district by 21 points in 2016 and the GOP is likely to hang on to his seat.

Walden had a successful tenure at the National Republican Congressional Committee, serving as deputy under then-Chairman Pete Sessions of Texas in the 2010 and 2012 cycles before taking the helm for the next four years.

During the 2016 cycle, Walden notably maintained his friendship with his counterpart, Democratic Congressional Committee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico. Both served on the same Energy and Commerce subcommittee.